Home Care In High Point, NC

High Point University students, faculty and community members are invited to participate in a variety of community service projects for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 15, 2024. Pictured are students packing winter care kits during the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

Center for Community Engagement Awarded MLK Day of Service Grant

HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 5, 2024 – High Point University students, faculty and community members are invited to participate in a variety of community service projects for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 15, 2024.

Students will serve the community through projects to revitalize local organizations, clean areas of the city of High Point, pack thousands of seeds for the community, assemble care kits for veterans and more. For a full list of events and volunteer opportunities, click here to join HPU students, staff and faculty as they participate in community service projects on MLK Day 2024.

Community members are invited to join in service projects, such as:

In 1994, Congress designated a federal holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service – A Day On, Not a Day Off. HPU has taken that charge to heart by leading hundreds of volunteers in service to the city of High Point and surrounding areas each year. HPU students, faculty, staff and community members annually perform 500,000 hours of service while volunteering in many ways.

In addition to these service projects, HPU will host multiple educational workshops, speakers and films highlighting King’s life and legacy.

Center for Community Engagement Receives MLK Day of Service Grant

North Carolina Campus Engagement recently awarded HPU’s Center for Community Engagement a $5,000 subgrant from a MLK Jr. National Day of Service grant, jointly received by Partnership Alliance organizations and funded by AmeriCorps, the corporation for national and community service.

This multi-year funded program aims to engage more than 6,500 students across 11 states in service on or around MLK Day 2024 to support underserved and marginalized individuals and communities, according to N.C. Campus Engagement.

HPU students, staff and faculty will use these funds to support related costs associated with activities the HPU community will participate in on MLK Day. These activities include a project in the Washington Street Historic District, a predominantly Black neighborhood. AmeriCorps VISTAs will lead a project that includes packing winter care kits to be distributed at the annual Guilford County Point in Time Count of people experiencing homelessness. Volunteers also plan to hand out reusable soup bowls, transport the HPU mobile lab and conduct a bookbag drive with the campus Circle K chapter. Click here to sign up to volunteer.

HPU’s Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Worship Service

Community members are invited to attend HPU’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Worship Service on Jan. 15, 2024, at 11 a.m. in Hayworth Chapel. This event is free and open to the public. This year’s keynote speaker is Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, the founder and senior pastor of the Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Cynthia Hale as our guest preacher for this year’s Dr. King Worship Service,” said Rev. Dr. Preston Davis, vice president and minister to the university. “Dr. Hale is, without a doubt, one of the most gifted preachers in the country. She is clearly anointed with God’s spirit with an extraordinary ability to bring the Gospel to life. I can’t wait for our students and community to experience her preaching.”

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Hale earned her Master of Divinity from Duke University and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary. She holds five honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees and an honorary Doctor of Law degree. Hale established two ministries: Elah Pastoral Ministries, a mentoring program to assist in the spiritual and practical development of pastors and para-church leaders, and the Women in Ministry Conference, a national conference to develop, coach and mentor Christian women in ministry.

As a recipient of numerous honors and recognitions, Hale was inducted into the African American Biographies Hall of Fame, the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College and the Atlanta Business League Women’s Hall of Fame. She received the National Urban League’s Women of Power award, the Preston Taylor Living Legacy Award and the Balm in Gilead Keeper of the Flame Award and was recognized on Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 list as one of the nation’s most influential African American leaders. In 2009, Hale was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. She also served as a member of the 2016 Platform Committee for the Democratic National Convention and delivered the invocation at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Hale is a contributing writer for many books and publications, including “Power in the Pulpit II: How America’s Most Effective Black Preachers Prepare their Sermons,” and the preaching resource series, “Feasting on the Gospels.” In January 2010, she authored her first book titled, “I’m A Piece of Work: Sisters Shaped by God.”

Hale presently serves as chair of the IC3 Conference Board, president for the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference, a member emeritus of the Board of Visitors of the Divinity School at Duke University, a member of the Board of Trustees at Hollins University, a member of the UNCF National Faith and Education Initiative advisory council and a member of the Welcome.US Council. She serves as the co-chair of the International Spiritual Oversight Committee and is an active lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Music at the service will be led by Genesis Gospel Choir and guest musicians. Each year, this worship service serves to awaken the faithful witness of Dr. King for our lives here and now.

Dental School Offers Free Dental Care to Veterans, Teachers and First Responders

HPU’s Workman School of Dental Medicine will provide free dental care at two locations to veterans, teachers and first responders on Jan. 15 as a way to thank these everyday heroes in the community. More than a dozen Workman School of Dental Medicine faculty and staff members will provide the free dental care at two HPU Health locations – HPU Randolph Dental in Asheboro, N.C., and HPU Hillandale Dental in Durham, N.C.

Veterans, teachers and first responders are eligible to receive free oral exams, head-and-neck exams, limited same-day care and information about their oral health needs. Walk-ins are welcomed. Individuals can make an appointment by visiting the following links:

HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — There’s a new place to hang out in High Point, have a drink and play some arcade games.

Dive Bar opened Wednesday at 5 p.m. on North Elm Street. It’s the third location for the franchise that originally started in the Lake Norman area of North Carolina.

“We always hope to be fun. I told the staff that during training sessions, our number one thing is fun, fun, fun,” co-owner Rob Grosskopf said.

Right across from the High Point Rockers Baseball stadium and Stock and Grain, which is a food and entertainment hall, Dive Bar is in a prime space to entertain.

“I think that this location … is a huge reason we are going to be successful and a huge reason why we are here,” the owner said.

He says they chose High Point for the arcade because like their locations in Lake Norman, it’s true to their roots.

It’s an entertainment concept that’s bringing life to downtown High Point.

“This area is really going to keep growing,” City Councilwoman Monica Peters said.

Peters was thrilled to try her hand at the arcade games Wednesday night.

Lots of kids joined in on the fun, giving their best at a game of skee-ball, air hockey and the many turn based games.

“It’s cool to see High Point expanding with the new restaurants and bars like this,” patron Todd Shakespeare said.

Dive Bar was packed for opening night, and the people who came to check it out are thrilled to see a new place to let off steam in the furniture city.

“Look at the crowd. It’s ridiculous, I think it’s only going to grow as the word spreads,” Peters said.

And at the heart of the bright lights are high scores and deliberately low-price cold drinks. That’s the goal.

“I think that’s our main differentiator. We are really come one, come all,” Grosskopf said.

And even kids can come until 8 p.m., which is when it becomes adults only. You can check out their hours and specials on their new Facebook page.

By Anne Blythe

Less than three months after High Point University held a groundbreaking ceremony for what will be the first private dental school in North Carolina, the founding dean has left; one of his assistant deans has been promoted to fill the post.

It’s not clear why Scott De Rossi, the founding dean and professor of the Workman School of Dental Medicine, left after being at High Point University since January 2021. Efforts to reach him by phone and text message were unsuccessful.

“HPU extends its heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Scott De Rossi for his remarkable contributions and wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” read a statement provided by the HPU media relations office.

Muhammad Ali Shazib, who had been the chief clinical officer and assistant dean for practice at the Workman school, has been selected as the new dean.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the community of High Point University, its patrons and our North Carolinians in breaking down barriers and to come together for the mission of putting those who need our care at the center of everything that we do,” Shazib said in a statement provided by the HPU media relations office. “To wake up every morning and be able to serve our faculty, staff, learners and patients is a dream come true for me.”

Prepping for students’ arrival

The dental school being built in High Point is expected to welcome its first students in the 2024 fall semester — 60 in all.

It will be one of three schools in North Carolina educating the next generations of dentists. The state’s two public dentistry schools are at UNC Chapel Hill and East Carolina University.

In a phone interview with NC Health News after the groundbreaking ceremony in late September, De Rossi said the dental school in High Point had been in the works for nearly a decade and a half. First the Great Recession sidelined those plans, then the COVID pandemic tossed planners a few unexpected hurdles in the timeline.

The school had touted the possibility of opening to students in 2023, but accrediting requests to the Commission on Dental Accreditation got backed up during the pandemic, De Rossi said, and the opening date was pushed to 2024.

That has not stopped the school from setting up High Point University Health, a private network of dental offices within a 65-mile radius of High Point that are owned and run by the university.

Dental students will be able to get practical experience at the offices. Additionally, revenue from the practices, which could number as many as 30 if the planning goal is met, will be streamed to the dental school to help offset operational costs.

State-of-the-art innovation

Eventually, the Workman School of Dental Medicine will be housed in a 77,000-square-foot building on the High Point University campus in an area where other health care schools are clustered.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Nido Qubein, president of the university since 2005, and others who spoke described the new dental school as one that would be “innovative” with “state-of-the-art technology.”

In the release sent to NC Health News by the HPU media relations office, Shazib is described as someone who “seeks to advance the school’s mission of becoming a leader in innovation, experiential education and life skills in oral health care.”

Shazib became interested in oral health as a youngster working in his father’s lab. He went to Lahore Medical and Dental College in Pakistan’s second largest city from 2005 to 2009 and received a bachelor’s degree in dental surgery.

After that, he did a stint in Singapore, working at a cellular and tissue engineering lab from 2010 to 2012.

Shazib then came to the United States and earned a doctorate of dental medicine from the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine in 2014. He then completed a postdoctoral residency in oral medicine at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Follow coverage of oral health issues

Making a mark in NC

In North Carolina, Shazib has worked as an assistant professor of oral medicine at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry.

In 2020, when he joined the Chapel Hill dental school faculty, Shazib’s interests included oral health outcomes for cancer patients and events associated with chemotherapy, a topic he became interested in while working in his father’s cancer biology lab.

“I always had an interest in science,” Shazib said in a video posted to a Novant Health website. “I grew up in my father’s cancer biology lab, teaching his students how to culture and grow cells. I had a fascination with doing things with my hands and problem-solving. And in my journey of exploring what I wanted to do when I grow up, this was sort of my calling, to be here as a health care provider, to help patients that suffer from diseases of the mouth, face and jaw.

“I love the fact that in my field I have been able to solve problems that patients have often been suffering for many, many years or months.”

Shazib maintains active patient care in oral medicine, oncology and medically complex dentistry at Novant Health, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and the HPU Health-Oral Health network.

News of the exit of the founding dean had been circulating last week, but few knew what prompted the change.

De Rossi, who received his dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania dental school, joined the High Point University dental school in January 2021 after four years as dean of the UNC dental school.

Previously, De Rossi told NC Health News that he liked the idea of building a program from the ground up that wouldn’t be bogged down by the wheels of bureaucracy that sometimes turn slowly in public state-supported schools.

“The Workman School of Dental Medicine will be groundbreaking with its innovative care curriculum, its novel admission processes, its unprecedented oral health networks distributed across the Triad, across the state, delivering care to the citizens of North Carolina, ensuring our students receive pre-eminent clinical and didactic education in authentic environments,” De Rossi told the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony in September. “We will be relentless in our pursuit of integrating medicine and dentistry to improve health outcomes.”

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with numerous events happening around the Triad area. MLK Day is a federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service across the country. The holiday falls on the third Monday of January each year. This year, it will be on King's actual birthday, which is Jan. 15.

Greensboro NAACP Chapter's Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade

Greensboro's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter is hosting a parade on Monday.

It will begin promptly at 11 a.m. at the Benbow Professional Center Building, located at 2031 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Greensboro.

To sign up or for more information, call 336-272-5779.

Carl Chavis YMCA's 21st Annual MLK Jr. High Point Community Parade

Carl Chavis YMCA's MLK parade is family-friendly, entertaining, and fun. It's also an opportunity for businesses and social and community groups to make this city strong to come out and be recognized while supporting and making a difference.

The parade route will begin at W. High and S. Main Street. The lineup will begin at noon on Green and S. Main Street. The parade will start at 1:00 pm. The route will end at Qubein Ave. and N. Main Street.

The parade will be held rain/snow or shine.

MLK Basketball Day Camp

An MLK Day Basketball Day Camp on Monday, January 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be at CP3 Basketball Academy, located at 1901 Mooney Street in Winston-Salem.

It is available to boys and girls, from 3rd grade to 8th grade. You can sign your athletes up at cp3ba.com.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Art Show and Gallery

Anything for Our Youth Group will be hosting the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Art Exhibition and Gallery Event on Monday, January 15, 2024, at Arts Davidson County located at 202 N. Main Street, Suite C. Lexington, NC 27295 at 5:00 pm. The event is open to youth ages K-12th grade.

The event is sponsored by: Arts Davidson County, NC Arts Council, Black Butterfly Network - Lex, Food Lion Feeds, and Walmart Foundation.

Martin Luther King Jr.: The Life and Legacy

Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through song and spoken word. The event will be held at Mount Tabor United Methodist Church, located at 3543 Robinhood Road in Winston-Salem.

Event participants include Interim Pastor Dr. Michael Brown, Reverend Pamela Blackstock of St. Paul United Methodist Church, and church youth. Coordinating with the national theme: It Starts with Me: Shifting the Cultural Climate through the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence the program will focus on Justice and Joy.

The Voices of God’s Children, the Joy Singers of the Yadkin Valley District and the Chancel Choir of Mount Tabor United Methodist Church will render musical selections, including "Lift Every Voice and Sing," "For Everyone Born" and "We Shall Overcome." All are welcome.

Burlington's Annual MLK Day Celebration

The city of Burlington's Mayco Bigelow Community Center at North Park is excited to host its annual MLK Day Celebration on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 at noon. The one-hour celebration will consist of performances, guest speakers, and a community resource fair.

The event is FREE and open to the public. Join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King. (849 Sharpe Rd., Burlington, NC 27217)

Speakers include: Dejuana Bigelow, Burlington City Councilmember Seneca Rodgers, Alamance Burlington School Board Member Zion Cash, Director, Macyo Bigelow Community Center

International Civil Rights Center & Museum's MLK Day Activities and Programs

The International Civil Rights Center & Museum, located at 134 S. Elm Street in Greensboro, is hosting four events on Monday.

At both 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the museum will be showing film screenings of Dr. King and moments of the Civil Rights movement and exhibit showings of the "March on Washington" and "I Am a Man" exhibits.

At 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., re-enactments of a portion of Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech and make-and-take arts and crafts projects, and singing of freedom songs.

City of High Point's MLK Day Events

The city of High Point is hosting two events on Monday in honor of MLK Day.

First, there will be an MLK Celebration Breakfast at the Qubein Conference Center, located at 1050 Panther Drive in High Point. It begins at 8 a.m. It is organized by the Minister's Conference of High Point & Vicinity. This celebration includes an oratorical contest on the theme "Let's chat for change in an AI world."

Then, there will be an MLK Service at Williams Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, located at 3400 Triangle Lake Road.

The city of High Point's Parks and Recreation Department will also host two additional events celebrating Dr. King legacy. On Monday, the Washington Terrace Community Center, located at 101 Gordon Street, will host as dove release at 10:30 a.m., which will include a brief programs and continental breakfast.

The High Point University Board of Trustees has appointed three new members to its Board of Ambassadors. From left are Aaron N. Clinard, Jackie M. King and David L “Dusty” Maynard.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 18, 2023 – The High Point University Board of Trustees has appointed three new members to its Board of Ambassadors. Among the new members are distinguished Triad community leaders, attorneys and business owners.

“High Point University is blessed to have the support and advocacy of all our extraordinary Board of Ambassadors members,” said HPU President Nido Qubein. “I am delighted to have these new members bring their voices and experiences to the board as HPU prepares students to achieve greatness.”

Previously known as the Board of Visitors, this impressive group of people serves as ambassadors for HPU within their communities and helps advance the university through their participation in activities related to student support, advocacy, community engagement and fundraising. The newly appointed members are as follows:

Aaron N. Clinard, the owner of Clinard Consulting and a Legal Shield group sales associate, has served the High Point community in many capacities. He held the highest rankings for an attorney while practicing law for more than 40 years. His corporate client base included many furniture companies that participated in the High Point Market and represented nearly 15 different countries.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University School of Law, Clinard has served in the past on the HPU Board of Visitors and is an honorary alumnus of HPU. He has received many awards, including the Chamber of Commerce’s Businessman of the Year and the North Carolina State Bar’s Centennial Award for Outstanding Community Service. His most outstanding service to the community involved more than 15 years of leadership, laying the groundwork and building momentum in the role of recreating the downtown/uptowne area in High Point.

Jackie M. King, a former McDonald’s franchise owner, was born in northwest Indiana and graduated from Purdue University. She became a McDonald’s owner-operator at age 27 and went on to own eight restaurants in the High Point area alongside her late husband, Herschel King.

Over the past 25 years, the Kings focused their charitable giving toward children in High Point. She sold the restaurants in September 2021 and now enjoys spending time with her daughter, Alexis. A member of Wesley Memorial Church, King rows competitively in national regattas and enjoys golfing and snowboarding.

David L. “Dusty” Maynard was born in Belmont, North Carolina, and moved to High Point in 1966 upon his marriage to the former Katherine “Kay” Kearns. They have two children.

Maynard graduated from Duke University and Duke University Law School. He is past president of the High Point Bar Association and the N.C. State Bar 18^th Judicial District. He practiced law with the firm of Robinson, Haworth and Reese in High Point for 50 years until he retired in 2009.

He is a former member of the Trinity Board of Visitors of Duke University, a member of the B.N. Duke Scholarship Advisory Committee and the Duke Alumni Board.

The Maynard family supported several projects at HPU, including the Maynard Pool at the Slane Student Center and the hydrotherapy area at the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena.

Maynard is past president of the Family Service of the Piedmont board. He served on the boards of Wesley Memorial Methodist Church and chaired the finance committee. He also served on the boards of the A. Pat and Kathryn Brown Foundation and the Burroughs and Chapin Company of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Dr. Rick Schneid, High Point University’s Herman and Louise Smith professor of history, delivered the Ewing Chair lecture to 550 cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Jan. 11.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 29, 2024 – Dr. Frederick Schneid, High Point University’s Herman and Louise Smith Professor of History, recently delivered the Ewing Chair lecture to 550 cadets at the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point.

Schneid is the first HPU professor appointed as the Charles Boal Ewing Chair in Military History by a committee in the Department of History at the USMA at West Point. The residency appointment is invitation only and given to a leading scholar in military history.

Serving as the 16^th Charles Boal Ewing Chair of Military History at West Point, Schneid explored the evolution of war and warfare from Napoleon to World War I. This was the introductory lecture for the core course for all cadets, History of Military Art from 1900 to the Present. Schneid’s lecture established the contextual foundations upon which the rest of the course is taught.

“It was a wonderful way to mark my 30 years as a military historian,” Schneid said. “It also reflects the quality of HPU’s History Department and the university’s commitment to educating future leaders.”

Dr. Joey Fink, interim chair of the HPU History Department and assistant professor of history, agreed that the department is honored that Schneid has this opportunity to educate the next generation of America’s military leaders. He will return to HPU in June.

“As part of a ‘God, family and country’ school, our department understands the important role we play in helping learners understand our shared past and envision a brighter future,” she said.

The Ewing Chair is a visiting senior professor who lives at the USMA at West Point and serves 11 months in a full-time capacity. In addition to giving the Ewing Chair lecture, the faculty member teaches two courses in their field each semester, directs senior seminar research and provides mentorship to junior faculty and advice to senior leadership.

The Ewing Chair also sits on a variety of scholarship and award committees and serves as an external member of any search committee for the Department of History. The Ewing Chair is often asked by colleagues to guest lecture in their respective courses.

In the fall, Schneid taught History of Military Art to 1900 and Historiography of the Napoleonic Wars, which was the first semester of a two-semester senior seminar project. This spring, he is teaching two sections of Warfare in the Age of Revolutions, which is a military history of the wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon. Schneid is completing the last semester of research for the cadet he is advising. He has also given guest lectures in other courses on Weimar Germany, 1918-1933, and The Revolutions of 1848.

High Point University invites the community to campus for a variety of cultural events. Nieko McDaniel discusses his art with visitors at Sechrest Art Gallery during a reception on Jan. 18.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 26, 2024 – High Point University invites the community to campus for a variety of cultural events. The spring schedule includes a variety of art, music and theater performances, as well as distinguished speakers who will visit campus.

Triad residents can sign up to receive email updates about community events at HPU throughout the year by visiting this website. More information and the complete list of community events can be found at www.highpoint.edu/community. They also can receive notifications about events by downloading the HPU Community App.

Complimentary tickets for each event can be found at https://www.highpoint.edu/arts-design/eventcalendar/

Repurposed for Art

The Sechrest Art Gallery at HPU will feature a sculptural exhibit, “Patience… & However Possible” by Nieko McDaniel. Open Jan. 16 to Feb. 16, this exhibit features sculptures created with materials that “have an inherent history and function but are repurposed to fit” the artist’s vision. The Sechrest Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Choral Concert

The combined university choirs will perform for campus members and families during the Spring Family Weekend Choral Concert on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pauline Theatre in Hayworth Fine Arts Center. Community members can watch the free livestream at www.highpoint.edu/live-stream.

Theater

The Department of Theater and Dance will present “The Real Inspector Hound” by Tom Stoppard at the Empty Space Theatre on Feb. 7-10 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. The play, directed by John Galas, is a lampoon of feuding theatre critics who are swept into the whodunit they are viewing. Complimentary tickets are available and required.

Faculty Piano Chamber Concert

Join us for a piano chamber music recital on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Charles E. Hayworth Sr. Memorial Chapel. The recital features guest artist Dr. Jacob Hahn and HPU piano and string faculty Dr. Wei Jiao, Dr. Dan Skidmore and Dr. Margaret Petty. This program will include Brahms violin sonata No. 2 in A major, Mendelssohn piano trio No. 2 in C minor, as well as original music composed by Petty for cello and piano. No tickets are required.

Wind Ensemble Concert

The HPU Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Professor of Music Dr. Brian Meixner, welcomes guest composer Mathew Campbell to campus for “Forerunner” on Feb. 17 from 7:30 p.m. Complimentary tickets will be available on Jan. 26, and this concert will also be livestreamed at www.highpoint.edu/live-stream.

The concert features the cutting-edge and award-winning music of Campbell, who has collaborated with various universities, educators and musicians throughout the nation. His passion for composing and conducting has led to him leading world premieres with various ensembles and the state and national levels.

Artifact [BOLD] Exhibit

Artifact [BOLD], an annual international exhibition of graphic design, new media, illustration and the expanded field, will be on view at the Sechrest Art Gallery from March 18 to April 5. This exhibit features juried works selected by Kaleena Sales, associate professor of graphic design and chair of the Department of Art & Design at Tennessee State University. A reception and opportunity to hear from Sales will be held March 27 from 4:30-6 p.m. No tickets are required. The Sechrest Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Spring Dance Concert

The Department of Theater and Dance proudly presents “Perseverance,” the annual spring dance concert featuring all new choreography by Nicole Amorocho, Caroline Cubas, Karissa Fryar, Aleigh Garrecht, Mary Gomez, Sophie LeBron, Monica Kepins, Cierra Mahoney, Kendall McDowell, Emily Precopio, Natalia Siepka and Maggie Weinbaum. The concert, which doubles as a fundraiser for Backpack Beginnings, will be held March 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pauline Theatre in Hayworth Fine Arts Center. Complimentary tickets will be available on Feb. 1.

Instrumental Chambers Ensemble Concert

Join us for an intimate concert featuring all the Department of Music’s instrumental chamber ensembles on March 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Charles E. Hayworth Sr. Memorial Chapel. The chamber strings will join quartets of string, brass, tuba/euphonium and trombone, as well as ensembles of clarinet, flute, guitar and percussion to present music from varying time periods and include an interesting and eclectic mix of styles. No tickets are required.

Clarinet and Percussion Ensembles Concert

The Department of Music presents the HPU Clarinet Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble on April 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Empty Space Theatre. Directed by Carmen Eby and Louis Raymond-Kolker, the program will include a collaboration with the HPU Chamber Singers directed by Dr. Marc Foster, chair of the Music Department and professor of music. The concert features a variety of genres, including original compositions and arrangements by HPU music students and faculty. Complimentary tickets will be available on March 15.

Senior Dance Capstones

Senior dance majors Melanie Fitts and Blaire Edwards will present “Conflictions,” their capstone work, as two separate concerts within one on April 11-13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Empty Space Theatre. Complimentary tickets will be available on March 25.

Wild Symphony – HPU Community Orchestra

The HPU Community Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Brian Meixner, presents “Wild Symphony” in celebration of the university’s centennial. This is a family-oriented, multimedia performance all ages will enjoy on April 13 at 3 p.m. at the Qubein Arena and Conference Center.

HPU President Nido R. Qubein will be featured as the narrator on a live musical performance of “Wild Symphony,” a children’s book of the same name, written by New York Times bestselling author Dan Brown. Voice professor Dr. Scott MacLeod will narrate a performance of music accompanying another children’s book, “The Remarkable Farkle McBride,” and Department of Music Chair Dr. Marc Foster will narrate a performance of “Carnival of the Animals.” Complimentary tickets and more information can be found here.

Jazz Concert

The HPU Jazz Ensemble will perform a selection of Latin jazz pieces on April 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Empty Space Theatre. Complimentary tickets will be available on March 25.

Fresh Picked – Concert of New Music

The Department of Music presents “Fresh Picked,” a concert of new music directed by Louis Raymond-Kolker. The program is on April 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Empty Space Theatre and will feature premiere performances of music written by HPU music students as well as performances of other notable pieces of music composed in the past few years. Complimentary tickets will be available on March 25.

‘Not Quite Almost’ by John Cariani

Acclaimed playwright John Cariani returns to a familiar landscape with “Not Quite Almost,” a world premiere that he has developed with the Department of Theater & Dance, running April 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pauline Theatre at Hayworth Fine Arts Center. On a dark night ripe for celestial magic, various young couples must negotiate with darkness and light, both within themselves and in the rural landscape that surrounds them. “Not Quite Almost” is a series of poignant, funny and inspiring vignettes confronting the challenges of contemporary young life. Patrons will have a special treat of being seated on stage in a unique layout and experience. Complimentary tickets will be available on March 25.

Spring Choral Concert

The Spring Choral Concert, “Music of the Soul,” will feature music that ignites the soul, sparks imagination and inspires our hearts. The concert takes place on April 22 at 7:30 p.m., in the Pauline Theatre at Hayworth Fine Arts Center. The repertoire will celebrate the intersection of music and life. The concert will include students from University Singers, Chamber Singers, Women’s Chorus, Men’s Glee Club and Chapel Choir, should last about one hour and will be livestreamed at www.highpoint.edu/live-stream. Complimentary tickets will be available on April 1.

Convergent Exhibition

The Sechrest Art Gallery at HPU will feature the work of seniors from the Department of Art and Graphic Design from April 24 to May 4. A reception and opportunity to talk with the student artists will be held April 24 at 4:30 p.m. No tickets are required. The Sechrest Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Wind Ensemble Concert

The HPU Wind Ensemble presents its final concert of the academic year on April 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pauline Theatre at Hayworth Fine Arts Center. This concert, titled “Give Us This Day,” will honor HPU’s centennial and include world premiere performances of compositions by music faculty Louis Raymond-Kolker and JW Turner. The concert, under the direction of Dr. Brian Meixner, also features the winner of the inaugural HPU Wind Ensemble Student Concerto Competition – Jared Bevacqua, euphonium. This varied program will include David Maslanka’s epic composition, “Give Us This Day.” Complimentary tickets will be available on April 1.

HPU invites the community to attend the 52^nd Annual Christmas Prayer Breakfast on Friday, Dec. 15 at 8 a.m. in the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Nov. 30, 2023 – High Point University invites the community to campus for a variety of holiday events in December.

Some events require complimentary registration as noted below. Registration and the complete list of community events can be found at www.highpoint.edu/christmas. Individuals can sign up to receive email updates about community events at HPU by visiting this link.

Join HPU for Home for the Holidays: Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Sechrest Art Gallery. Home for the Holidays, a folk-art exhibition by HPU Class of 1986 alumna Dianne Myers, will run from Dec. 1-15. Myers is a maker of charming folk-art paintings that visualize memories of her years growing up in rural North Carolina. Plan to come and enjoy Myers’ whimsical and deeply personal works, which she has made over more than four decades, during Sechrest Gallery’s Holiday Open House. No tickets required.

HPU’s Department of Theater and Dance invites the public to the “Nutcracker in a Nutshell” on Sunday, Dec. 3 from 1:30-2 p.m. at the Charles E. Hayworth Sr. Memorial Chapel. The 30-minute presentation includes highlights of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite as performed by HPU students. This is a perfect family event with a chance for kids to meet the dancers and take pictures afterward. No tickets required.

HPU’s annual Lesson and Carols service will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Charles E. Hayworth Sr. Memorial Chapel. This special candlelight service is the final chapel service of the fall semester, bringing the community together to remember and retell the Christmas story. The service will feature members of the university community reading scripture as well as music led by the Chapel Choir. The service is based on the traditional Festival of Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge, England. No tickets are required for this event.

“Amahl & the Night Visitors” will be performed Wednesday, Dec. 6 and Thursday, Dec. 7 from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Hayworth Fine Arts Center, Pauline Theatre. Mark your calendar and make plans to attend this beloved holiday performance presented by the Greensboro Opera and HPU. Three Kings follow a star to Bethlehem. A miracle happens when they stop for shelter at the home of Amahl, a poor, crippled shepherd boy who lives with his widowed mother. Inspired by the Wise Men’s tale of a kingdom “built on love alone,” Amahl offers his own simple gift to the Christ Child. In this warm and compassionate story, Gian Carlo Menotti has captured the essential spirit of Christmas. The event is free, but only a limited number of seats remain. Registration is required at www.highpoint.edu/Christmas.

HPU invites the community to attend the 52^nd Annual Christmas Prayer Breakfast on Friday, Dec. 15 at 8 a.m. in the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena. For 52 consecutive years, HPU has brought the wider High Point faith community together for the Annual Christmas Prayer Breakfast. This year’s event includes an inspiring message from Rev. Dr. Thomas Tewell and music provided by LaDonna Gatlin. A silent prayer is also held every year in memory of alumni and members of the university family and the community, as well as other friends who have passed away during the past year. Sponsors are Digger Enterprises, Fence Builders, Haggai Prayer Breakfast Fund, Johnson’s Modern Electric Company, River Landing at Sandy Ridge and Smith & Jennings, Inc. Complimentary registration is required and available at www.highpoint.edu/prayer-breakfast.

Enjoy the holiday season with a magical ride through campus for the annual Christmas Drive celebration Dec. 18-27. The free event is a fun and festive way for families to enjoy the holiday decorations and sounds of the season. Enjoy more than 100,000 Christmas lights, a life-size Nativity, more than 230 nutcrackers, giant wreaths and garland, the state’s tallest Christmas tree at 70 feet and more! This event will run for 10 nights from 5-8 p.m.

HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — A much-needed and welcomed addition will soon be coming to the heart of downtown High Point. City leaders and developers came together for a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday.

Several local business owners welcome the new development and say it’s proof the city is growing.

“I think it’s one piece that High Point is missing, and to add that is going to complete the puzzle,” said Otis Battles, Miss Johnnie Mae’s Kitchen owner.

The SpringHill Suites by Marriott at High Point Downtown/Congdon Yards will sit at 121 Virgina Pl. adjacent to Congdon Yards.

The Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation acquired this property in 2021 with the goal of working with a developer to convert it into a hotel. It was sold to Benchmade Ventures, and they will build a 128-room hotel on the property.

The site where the hotel will be located is also near the Truist Point baseball stadium and Stock and Grain food hall.

“This area is real close-knit. So if anything goes on over there in Congdon Yards, they come over here because Congdon Yards has a lot of a lot of events. It’s like we’re … in the center of basically everything,” said Jaquay Williams, Damn Good Burgers and Dogs owner.

Several nearby business owners see this as the next step in downtown growth.

“I think it’s amazing … especially to be revitalizing a downtown area, especially a place like High Point where … everything is outside of downtown but giving people actually a reason to come in to … celebrate,” Battles said.

”My hope for the downtown area is … it becomes an actual downtown. The city of High Point really hasn’t had a true traditional downtown. I think that’s going to be really good for everybody and all the small businesses,” said Chris Ryker, Biscuits Brisket Beer owner.

In addition to drawing more people to downtown High Point, the hotel will also bring job opportunities.

“Probably 25 or 30, including part-time … Leading up to that, there’s a whole lot of economics surrounding the project in the in the next year and a half, two years before we’re able to open up,” said Michael Kren, Benchmade Ventures Managing partner.

There is an existing structure at 121 Virgina Pl. where developers will maintain the historic part of the building for the public areas of the new hotel but will completely rebuild the second portion of the structure which will be the guestroom tower.

Demolition of the interior has begun, and the hotel is estimated to be open by fall 2025.

JAMESTOWN, N.C. (WGHP) — Highway Patrol troopers are looking for a suspect involved in a hit-and-run. They say a 52-year-old High Point man was walking along West Main Street when a vehicle hit him.

Troopers say Zonte Pittman was hit by a car in front of Flowers Baking Company on West Main Street Wednesday night.

His sister Shamora Batts said that is where he works, and he was on his lunch break walking to this 7/11 store when he was hit by a car.

“This guy just got hit by a car. I don’t know what to do. He’s not moving. It was a hit-and-run. It’s Flowers Baking Co. of Jamestown,” a 911 caller said.

A 911 caller found Pittman on the side of Main Street near Penny Road right in front of the place he worked.

“A lot of unanswered questions. Why? Even if you did and didn’t know … People want to know when they hit something. You can’t say you didn’t … Why didn’t you stop?” Batts said.

Pittman’s family wants answers.

“He took a major injury to his spine. He had to have surgery … Right now, we just can’t really tell the outcome of everything because he’s really in a lot of pain,” Batts said. “He has no feeling right now from the neck down, but we’re praying.”

Investigating troopers believe the person was driving a crimson pearl red 2013-2015 Acura ILX. Investigators say it will have damage to the front grille and will be missing the front grille Acura emblem.

His family learned about the crash when his coworker came rushing to their house with the news.

“He was alert from my understanding, and we talked to the nurse last night that was on call. He was alert. He knew his name. He knew where he was at,” Batts said. “He don’t remember what happened to him because we spoke to him just before he went down for surgery. He don’t know what happened.”

He a father of five and is also a grandfather.

His family is praying for his recovery and that the suspect will soon be found.

If you have any information about this hit-and-run, you’re asked to contact State Highway Patrol at *HP (*47 on your cellular device) or their communications center at 1-800-445-8621.